TSOTM May 2026: Football to the Footballers! T-shirt

Only available outside the US. Available in the US here on a different shirt.

Our T-shirt of the Month for May 2026, made of 100% organic cotton, and supporting grassroots labour unions in South Asia. 

This month's design is inspired by the May 1968 occupation of the French Football Federation in Paris. On 22 May 1968, as strikes swept across France, a group of footballers did something extraordinary: they occupied the headquarters of the French Football Federation and hung a banner from the balcony reading "Le football aux footballeurs!" (French for: Football belongs to the footballers, or Football to the Footballers).

The protesters accused the Federation of abusing its power to enrich itself and a handful of elite clubs, while professional players were fobbed off with low wages and miserable contracts. They demanded that membership contributions be used to improve football infrastructure at every level of the game. The occupation lasted five days, and it worked! Under pressure from the players' union, the media, and prominent footballing figures, the Federation was forced to withdraw its most controversial plans and gradually open up greater participation in the running of the game at both national and local level.

More than half a century later, football is still governed by officials and suits rather than the players themselves. Worse still: today's top officials are richer, the corruption more brazen, and the impunity more staggering than ever. The global governing body of football has for decades operated less like a sporting institution than a criminal cartel. Bribery scandals, vote-rigging, money laundering, and officeholders enriching themselves at the expense of millions of grassroots players are the order of the day.

The design for May 2026 by Indonesian illustrator Nanu Nano shows two players in front of an imaginary international federation building. One of them, barefoot in a Brazilian jersey, embodies the beauty of the traditional game. He reminds us of a time when technique, wit, and elegance still mattered more than muscle and efficiency. The other player wears a Palestinian jersey, symbolising the resilience of ordinary and marginalised people in the face of oppression around the world. He also reminds us that the genocide committed by Israel has already claimed the lives of hundreds of Palestinian footballers; among them Suleiman al-Obeid, the "Palestinian Pelé", shot dead on 6 August 2025 while waiting for food aid alongside other civilians in the south of the Gaza Strip.

The “Football to the Footballers” design is dedicated to every child on every dusty pitch and in every alleyway around the world who dreams of becoming a professional footballer or simply wants to play. The future belongs to them, and so does football. Not to the greedy men in Zurich.

• 100% organic cotton, single jersey, 160 g/m², 0% elastane in fabric
• High-quality water-based print: environmentally and skin-friendly ink certified under the Global Organic Textile Standard
  Unisex fit sizes: S - M - L - XL - 2XL – 3XL - 4XL - 5XL
• Made with dignity by the worker-owned Humana Nova cooperative
• Supports grassroots labour unions in South Asia through ExChains
• Printed individually just for you, with no overproduction or waste
• Shipping everywhere except the US, from France

Size guide
Please make sure to carefully choose your size by checking the size chart below.

Width: Measured 2cm (1in) beneath the sleeves across the shirt
Length: Measured from the highest point of the shoulder to the bottom end of the shirt

When will I receive my t-shirt?

Printing of each Co-op Shirt will take approximately two weeks after being ordered. The shirts will then be shipped from France, and delivery should take up to one week for Europe, and up to two weeks for the rest of the world.

In the unlikely event that shirts from dna merch are out of stock, design will instead be printed on an organic t-shirt from fairwear foundation leader Stanley & Stella instead.